World War II closed the doors for Chanel. Though her future was uncertain, Chanel continued to endure Paris.

As the hostilities of war came to an end, Chanel could not remain idle.  Fashion designer Christian Dior’s post-war NEW LOOK showcased femininity with slender waists and full skirts.  Chanel was averse to Dior’s fashion designs as they were not suitable for women who had active roles in society.  Chanels’ quest was to rescue and reinvigorate women’s fashion.

She was facing the many challenges of finances, new staff, new fabric lines and competition with a new genre of designers at the mature age of 70yrs.In 1953 Chanel launched her comeback collection.  Within three seasons, she had garnered newfound respect.  The update of her classic look the tweed design drew celebrities and wealthy women to her showroom.

The Chanel suit made of solid or tweed fabric with its slim skirt and collarless jacket trimmed with patch pockets, braid, gold buttons and a gold chain sewn into the hem to ensure a proper shoulder silhouette.  Once again, Chanel sought to introduce her line of jewelry, shoes and handbags.

After Chanels’ death in 1971, her assistants continued to design her ready-to-wear line of clothing.  Karl Lagerfield took control of Chanel design in 1984.  Lagerfield pursued innovations of the past to fuel his success.  He incorporated Chanel signature details of quilted leather, tweed fabrics, gold chains, fabric colours, and the linked ‘CC’ logo.  In later collections, Lagerfield sought to deconstruct the ladylike polish of the Chanel 1960 look.

As Lagerfield continued to mine the Chanel archive for inspiration, he lighted Gabrielle Chanels’ historical contribution to women’s fashion.  Her legacy continues.

Coco Chanel persevered through her business downtime of WWI and WWII, making her comeback better than ever.

As we turn to our Heavenly Father amid our personal difficulties, he seeks to comfort, guide, strengthen and assure us moment by moment.

Friday, March 5, 2021

Reference: The Metropolitan Musem

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